“was it for sins that we have done this”: two grave marker
TRANSCRIPT
L. Douglas Smoot: Two Grave Marker Poems by John D. Lee 103
“Was it for Sins That We Have Done This”: Two Grave Marker
Poems by John D. Lee
L. Douglas Smoot
InearlyJune1994,severalofmyfamilyandfriendsorganizedahorserideinthePineValleywildernessareaandintheKolobareaofZion’sNation-alPark.WehadarrangedtostayontheGordonPacepropertyattheeasternbaseofthePineValleywildernessarea,inNewHarmony,Utah,asmalltownofabouttwohundredresidents,abouttwentymilessouthofCedarCityonI-15thenwestaboutfourmiles.GordonPacewastheLDSbishopoftheNewHarmonyWard.Hisfamilymemberswereearlysettlersinthiscommunity.AccordingtoJuanitaBrooks,JohnD.LeesoldhisNewHarmonyhouseandmostof the farm to theLemuelH.Redd family inSeptember1870,whenBrighamYoungaskedhimtomovetotheareaeastofKanab.1ThispropertywassubsequentlyacquiredbythePacefamily.
Gordon directed us southwest across a stream and past fields and orchards to a high meadow area along Comanche Creek, which flows east from the Pine Valley wilderness area. Without first realizing it, we were camping on theNewHarmonyfarmsiteofJohnD.Lee.AccordingtoGordon,twoframehomesandabrickhomeofJohnD.Leewerebuiltinthisarea.Nonestandstoday,butthefoundationscanbeseen,togetherwithhandmadeadobebricks
l. douglas smoot([email protected])isprofessoremeritusofChemicalEngineeringand dean emeritus of the College of Engineering and Technology at Brigham YoungUniversity.He isalsoanadvisor to theMormonHistoricSitesFoundation.Theauthorwishes to acknowledge the cooperation of Gordon Pace of New Harmony, Utah, onwhosepropertythegravemarkersarelocatedandwhograciouslyprovidedaccesstothepropertyandsharedhishistoricalknowledgeconcerningthearea.SpecialappreciationisalsoextendedtoE.OdellMiner,aclosefriendwhoparticipatedintheoriginaldiscoveryand inspectionof thegravemarkers.Finally, theauthoracknowledges theassistanceofDouglasS.LewisinthepreparationofthemanuscriptandAlexanderL.Baugh,editorofMormon Historical Studies,forhiseditorialwork.
10� Mormon Historical Studies
inthevicinity.OurbeingontheLeehomesteadsitecamedramaticallytoourattentionwhen,ontheearlyeveningofourseconddaythere,wediscovereda small graveyard containing five visible grave markers. Two of these were prominent,uprightsandstonemarkers,arrangedvertically,side-by-side,withthe etched printing facing west (Figure 1). Wilting flowers were at the two gravesites,presumablyplacedtheretheweekbeforeonMemorialDay.Ourcuriosity now increased as we examined the inscriptions on the two largemarkers.
Ononewasthefollowinginscriptioninlargecapitalletters,includingtheclearlyvisiblenamesoftwochildren(Figure2).Wedustedoffthelowerpor-tionofthegravemarkerandmovedsandydirtandrocksnearthebasetoreadthefullinscription.Theoriginalspellingispreserved:
INMEMORYOF
GEORGEALBERT&MARGARETA.LEE
BORNJANY20th1855&JANY3rd1857
DIEDBYTHEFALL-INGOFAWALLAT
HARMONYFEB6th1862
Belowthisinscription,smaller,lower-casewords,whichformthefollow-ingverse,canbeseeninFigure2,withmoreofthetextoftheversetowardthebaseofthemarkershowninFigure3.
BereavedofjoythoseofnobleBirthwhichGodfromHeavenhassenttoEarthForablessingtohiscovenantRaceAlass they are gone, who’ll fill their placeWasitforsinsthatwehavedoneDeathsnatchedfromusthoselittleonesOhLordourGodwehumblyPleadTo fill the rent Death has madeandkeepusonthenarrowwaythatleadstothateventaldayweourchildrenwillregainthroughFaithintheRedeemer’sName2
J.D.LEE
The name “J. D. LEE,” well below the level of the earth around the soft sandstonemarkerbeforethesoilwasmovedaway,canbemadeoutbelowthelastsentence(Figure4).
L. Douglas Smoot: Two Grave Marker Poems by John D. Lee 105
JuanitaBrooksdescribestheincidentthattookthelivesofthesetwochil-drenwith thecollapseof theFortHarmonyWallandtheirwinterburialasfollows:
Leeclosedhisjournalfortheyearwiththestatement,“Throughtheweekthestorms still raging; prospects dark and gloomy; the Earth a sea of water and thuscloses 1861.” The next day’s entry is equally eloquent. “Jany 1st., 1862 Begins with a storm. The face of the country is deluged with water. . . .”
Surelynothinglikethishadeverhappenedbefore.OnthemorningofJanuary31, they had their first glimpse of the sun for twenty-eight days, but before noon it was cloudedagainandsnowing,pilingtoadepthofteninchesinthenexttwodays.BynowallthefamilywasmovedoutofthefortexceptSarahCarolineandherchildren.Sheinsistedthat,sincetheroofwasoffthesecondstoryandtherainhadceased,shewas safe for a while longer. She did have four walls around her and a big fireplace, where theycouldkeepwarm,also twobedswithdrybedding,andshedreaded toleaveitwhenshehadnootherplaceofshelter....
The children were in bed, five-year-old Margaret Ann beside her brother George Albert,justayearolderthanshe,atthehead....Suddenlythemotherhadanimpulseto get out and hurried all through the door in her first fear, without disturbing the two sleepingchildren.Whetheritwasalreadyfallingorwhetherthedraftfromtheopen-ingdoormadeadifference,noonecouldguess,butthepartitionwallfromtheupperfloor crashed, coming through the ceiling, the heavy weight killing the two children instantly.Atleastitseemedthattheymusthavebeeninstantlykilled,fortherewerenocriesexceptfromthosewhohadescapedandwerecallingforhelp.Bythetimeanyonecouldgettherewithalightandremovethedebris,therewasnohopeforthechildren.
Thiswastrulyasadaffair,evenmoresobecausebothparentshadknownthattheyshouldleavethefort,andbothhaddelayedbecauseoftherigorsofwetandcoldto which the children must be exposed if they left the shelter and fire. Now the little bodiescouldhardlybeburiedproperly,withtherainunceasingandthesoggygrave-yardinalocationwhereitwasalmostimpossibletodigadecentgrave....Duringabrieflullinthestormtheygatheredatthegraveyard.Ahymnwassung,afewwordsof comfort offered to the weeping mother, a dedicatory prayer, and then the mudwasbeingpushedintothehole,plumpingontotheboxeswithareverberationthatremindedthemofthewallwhichhadsnuffedouttheyounglives.3
ThechildrendiedonFebruary6,1862,fouryearsandfourmonthsafterthetragicincidentatMountainMeadowsinwhichJohnD.Leeadmittedpar-ticipation.4Icannothelpbutwonderfromthetouchingphraseofthepoem“was it for sins that we have done death snatched from us those little ones” whetherheconsideredthispartofGod’spunishmentforthatlamentablein-cident.
ThesecondgravestonemarkedtherestingplaceofAggathaAnnWool-sey Lee, Lee’s first wife, whom he married in 1833 in Illinois.5Sheborehimelevenchildren,eightofwhomoutlived their father.6Hergravemarker,asshowninFigure5,bearsthefollowinginscription,withthespellingpreservedasonthegravemarker:
10� Mormon Historical Studies
INMEMORYOF
AGGATHEANLEEBORNJAN181814DIEDJUNE41866
Below this inscription, averse follows,muchofwhichcanbe seen inFigure5,withmoreshowninFigure6.Againthespellinghasbeenpreservedasetchedinthesandstonegravemarker.
ShehasgonetorestThepartnerofmyyouthHerspiritnowisblestWiththosethatlovetheTruthBeforeherspiritleftitsclayShecalledherchildrennear.ThenwislyuntothemdidsayObeyyourFatherdearHe’llnevercouncalyouamissThroughallyourfuturelivesThengaveuntoeachoneakissOhshe’samotherandawife7
J.D.LEE
Figure 7 clearly shows the name of the author of the verse, “J. D. LEE,” husbandofAggatha.Onceagainwehadtopushawaythesandydirtatthemarkerbasetoreadthefullinscription,apoeticexpressionoffamilyloveforavaliantpioneerwomanbyherhusband.HerdeathoccurredalittleoverfouryearsafterCaroline’stwochildrenwerekilledandfouryearsbeforeJohnD.LeemovedhisfamilyfromthisNewHarmonyhomestead.BrooksdescribesAggatha’spassingasfollows:
Aggathahadbeenfailingforsometimeuntilbythespringof1866shewasonherdeathbedwithalingeringmalignancy....
Hersufferinggrewinintensity,andwithitherdesiretoseeherchildrenandallthefamily.Perhapsifthiswishcouldbegranted,shecouldrelaxanddieinpeace.Ahorsemanwassenttonotifythemallandcallthemhome....
Shehadlaininastateofsemiconsciousnessforseveralhours,butwhenthewordcamethatthechildrenhadarrived,shearousedandseemedtorevive....
Toeachshegaveaprivateword,commendingthetwolittleboys,SamuelandEzra,intothecareofhersisterRachelandtheirolderbrothersandsisters.Thentothemallshegavethesameadvice.
“Honoryourfatherandlistentohiscounsel.HeisamanofGod,andhewillneverleadyouastray.Turntohiminyoursicknessandtrouble,andstandbyhiminwhatever he may be called to endure. . . .”
L. Douglas Smoot: Two Grave Marker Poems by John D. Lee 107
ThreedaysmoreAggathalingered,thoughshedidnotspeakagain.Atlastsherelaxed,hermuscleslosingtherigidityofsuffering,andafaintsmilesettlingonherfacewiththelastexhalationsofherbreath....Itwasjustatmidnight.
The funeral service must be held the next afternoon, for it was June and mortifi-cationhadsetinevenbeforethebreathingstopped.Someofthewiveshardlygottobedatall,forthebodymustbewashedanddressed;theburialclothescouldbeputonmore easily now than later. For days the coffin boards had been ready, fitted, planned andmeasured.Bydaybreaktheywereputtogether,andothersofthewomenwerebusywiththelininganddecoratingofthecasket....
Neighbors and friendsall came to speakof thevirtuesof this sisterwhohadbeenasamothertothemall,andwhosechildrencouldinreality‘riseupandcallherblessed.’ShewasburiedinthecemeterybesidelittleGeorgeandMargarett,whereeven today the cut stones mark their places.”8
Inthepoemetchedonthegravestone,JohnD.LeereferstothisadviceAggatha gave her children. Here also, one speculates whether her counselto her children, “and stand by him in whatever he may be called to endure,” wasapropheticinsightintowhatwastohappentoJ.D.Lee.ThethreeothergravestonesmarkthegravesofJohnLawson,andtwootherchildren.GordonPaceindicatedthattraditionhasitthatotherunmarkedgravesexist,possiblyincludingIndians.
WhilewewerecampinginthisbeautifulcountrywevisitedtheMountainMeadowsMassacresiteandsawthenewmonumentthere,andwerodeourhorsesalongTimberCreekinKolobCanyonofZion’sNationalPark.JuanitaBrooksindicatedthatJohnD.Leehadearlierhiddenintheseredrocksfromlaw enforcement officers seeking his arrest. It was from these heights among theredrocksthathereportedlypickedhisNewHarmonyhomestead.
Tomyknowledge,thesetwopoemshavenotpreviouslybeenbroughttotheattentionof thehistoricalcommunityorcommitted toarchival records.JohnD.LeewasaremarkablepioneeranddedicatedmemberoftheMormonfaith.Hisbiographydocumentsafascinatingandremarkablyproductivelifeofamazingpioneeringachievement,aswellashisdedicationtoastaggering-lylargefamily.9HealsomaintainedanundyingloyaltytoPresidentBrighamYoung,whomheconsideredhisadoptedfather.10 Lee possessed an unflinch-ingfaithintherestoredgospelofJesusChristwhichpersistedthroughsadnessandtragedylikethatnotedabove,andthroughhislossofChurchmembershipin1870.11AlthoughJohnD.Leeprofessedhisinnocenceandneverconfessedpublicly,hewastheonlyMountainMeadowsMassacreparticipanttobecon-victed. He was executed by a firing squad on March 23, 1877, at the site of the massacre.12Lee’smembershipintheChurchwasreinstatedonApril20,1961,andthenecessaryproxyordinanceswereperformedintheSaltLakeTemplelessthanamonthlateronMay8-9.13
108 Mormon Historical Studies
Notes
1.JuanitaBrooks,John Doyle Lee: Zealot, Pioneer Builder, Scapegoat (Logan,Utah:UtahStateUniversityPress,1992),288.
2. The underlined words in the verse were particularly difficult to make out but are thoughttobeaccurate.
3.Brooks,John Doyle Lee,269-71.4.JaunitaBrooks,The Mountain Meadows Massacre(Norman:UniversityofOkla-
homaPress,1990),83.5.Brooks,John Doyle Lee,26.6.Brooks,John Doyle Lee,379.7. The underlined word “near” was difficult to make out but is thought to be accu-
rate.8.Brooks,John Doyle Lee,273-76.9.Leehadnineteenwivesandsixtychildren.SeeBrooks,John Doyle Lee,379-84.10.Brooks,John Doyle Lee,265.11.Brooks,John Doyle Lee,293-94.12.Brooks,John Doyle Lee,366-67.13.Brooks,John Doyle Lee,376.
Figure1.GravemarkersofGeorgeAlbertandMargaretA.Lee(left),andAggathaAnnWoolseyLee(right) in thesmallgraveyardsouthwestofNewHarmony,Utah,near the
easternbaseofthePineValleyMountains,1994.PhotographbyL.DouglasSmoot.
L. Douglas Smoot: Two Grave Marker Poems by John D. Lee 109
Figure2.Close-upofthegravemarkerofGeorgeAlbertandMargaretA.Lee,childrenofJohnD.andAggathaAnnWoolseyLee,1994.PhotographbyL.DouglasSmoot.
110 Mormon Historical Studies
Figure3.TheverseinscriptiononthelowerhalfofthegravemarkerofGeorgeAlbertandMargaretA.Lee,1994.PhotographbyL.DouglasSmoot.
Figure 4. Close-up of the inscribed name of the verse author “J. D. Lee” at the very bottom of the grave marker of GeorgeAlbert and MargaretA. Lee,
originallybelowthesoillevel,1994.PhotographbyL.DouglasSmoot.
L. Douglas Smoot: Two Grave Marker Poems by John D. Lee 111
Figure 5. Close-up of the grave marker of Agatha Ann Lee (spelled AGGATHEANon the marker), first wife of John D. Lee, 1994. Photograph by L. Douglas Smoot.
112 Mormon Historical Studies
Figure6.Part of theverse inscriptionon the lowerportionof thegravemarker of Agatha Ann Woolsey Lee, 1994. Photograph by L. Douglas
Smoot.
Figure 7. Close-up of the inscribed name of the verse author “J. D. Lee” at theverybottomofAggathaAnnWoolseyLee’sgravemarker,clearlyvisibleatthebaseofthemarker,1994.PhotographbyL.DouglasSmoot.
